Sunday, October 3, 2010

When it comes down to it we probably did this for different reasons. Tobi did this for her dad, in honor of his life. I was moved by the adventures my uncle had in his life to live mine to the fullest. I don't know what I expected to feel, other than fear for my life, but now that I look back at it I remember my heart being full of peace as I fell through the blue blue sky, high above the mountains. I couldn't help but have the feeling of him watching over us from the heavens.

Every adventure has a story, and here is mine.

I could start off by saying it was a beautiful fall morning in the mountains. I could start off by talking about the great time I was having away from my family in the pressure cooker of a state we call home.

But I can't.

Because I seriously thought I was going to puke or pee my pants or both. The sleepless night didn't help at all. It was horrible! On the way up the canyon from Colorado Springs Tobi asked me, in all seriousness, "Are you doing this just because I wanted to?" Or something like that. I said no, of course. Because it is the truth. Though I was scared stiff I was so excited to do something totally out of the norm. My greatest fear is falling without being able to control myself. I felt like skydiving was confronting that fear head on. I want to have an exciting life, and I want my kids to look back and say, "look how cool my mom was!"

We got there early, so we sat in the car and played around on facebook, dropping hints to all of our friends about what we were getting ready to do. One of the staff came up to the car and asked us if we were there for skydiving. When we said yes he asked if we wanted to go ahead and come in to start filling out the paperwork. What was our answer? A very timid, sure? I think we were trying to put it off as long as possible.

The video we had to watch was hilarious! I wish I would have taken a picture of the guy on there that was supposed to be telling us about what we were signing and the madness we were getting ready to partake in. He had a super long beard. I think Tobi called him and Amish skydiver. I also wish I would have taken the time to get a copy of, or read, what we were signing. I am sure there was a lot of, "Skydiving is an extreme sport. Skydive the Rockies is not responsible for the loss of life." You know, stuff like that.

Then it was time. Time to get all suited up.

Hot, right? Right???

I will be honest when I say that the "training" went by in a blur. I am not surprised that I remember little of what I was told to do. I was so not ready when we were told to get in the truck so we could head off to the plane.

The plane. Let me just tell you about the plane. I wouldn't say that we were jumping out of a perfectly good plane. There was duck tape on the walls, the carpet was coming up in places. We were told to not touch the walls when trying to get into the plane. Oh, there was no door, which I know is important when skydiving, still it was strange. Planes are supposed to have doors. I don't know, but I am pretty sure that jumping out seemed more doable than landing in it. That may be the point though.

They told us when we were halfway up, but I can tell you now that they were totally lying. I think they just wanted us to feel comforted about the time we had remaining. Before we knew it, it was Tobi's turn to go. It felt like slow motion to me. Watching her move to the doorless door of the plane and disappear into the heavens was like an eternity to me. However, watching her be brave enough to swing her legs outside the plane made me feel a little more comfortable. Then it was my turn. It was no eternity, let me tell you. From the time he said, "legs flat and move to the door" and the time I was falling out of the plane seemed like 10 seconds, seriously!

The feeling of free fall is nothing like I thought it would be. Not scary. Not at all! Breathtaking, Awesome, Humbling... these are words that come to mind. 10,000 feet and falling was truly the most amazing thing I have experienced in my life. I think of other events that I consider some of the greatest (which is a whole other blog), the birth of my children being on the top of my list. No more, no way. Skydiving was WAY cooler!

Tobi

Me

This looks way more dramatic than it really was. No matter, I still love this one!

I love this picture only because it reminds me of exactly how I felt when we landed. A crazy mix of adrenaline, excitement, wonder, amazement, what was I thinking?!, that was so COOL!

So, there you have it. Go out and do something crazy with someone you love. You won't regret it!

Looking forward to our next adventure!

P.S. Thanks to Mom and Dad for coming out to watch us and take pictures. Pictures were necessary so we could offer up proof!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Not a tear was shed, well except for my hubby, but don't tell him I told you that!

Third grade and kindergarten. Can you believe that? I know.

I can't believe my babies are growing so fast. They are both so excited for school. I thought that would fade after the first week, but they still wake up eager to get dressed and get their lunches packed.

Miss C is the jewel of every teachers classroom. So eager to learn and to help others. She loves having her brother at school with her. She holds his hand and walks him to class every day. She even watches for him in the hallway when she is going between classes, to make sure he is doing okay.

You should see the face of my cute boy when I pick him up from school everyday. He is so happy to see me, and he is so excited to tell me all the things he learned. It really does bring a smile to my face.

****The following pictures make me feel like a good mom, just sayin'. I'll take whatever I can get!****

I do have to tell you a quick story...

I think it was Monday of this week, Miss C came home from school and told me about the girl that sits next to her at lunch. Apparently she brought a pizza lunchable for lunch and only liked to eat it warm. Like Miss C said, "not at school!" Miss C didn't want her to be hungry so she offered her the only thing left in her lunch box, carrots. The girl declined, but I am glad Miss C learned a valuable lesson. She said, "Heavenly Father would give her His food. He wouldn't want her to be hungry." The next two days Miss C brought a little something extra, just in case, something healthy!

I just love when little ones remember lessons they were taught and learn how to use them in their lives.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

..."Today is going to be a freakin' craptacular day" was the first thought that ran through my head this morning. All I know was, the sun was up, Baby B was screaming "DADDY" at the top of his lungs (because it is his favorite word at the moment) and I was not ready to get out of bed. All I wanted to do was lock my door, put a pillow over my head and sleep all day. Which is precisely what I did... For about 10 minutes and then my little one wouldn't stop talking. I guess I could have turned off the monitor, but I suspect that wouldn't have worked for very long either...

...Speaking of locking doors. My kids were driving me CRAZY. What's new about that, you ask? Nothing. Because I had just blown up over a lid not being screwed all the way, I thought it best to go to my room and take a shower in peace. Every mom knows the only way to do that is to lock the door. I have never attempted this before, at least not without the hubby here. Baby B was taking a nap, so I assumed the world would not come crashing down in a flaming ball of fire in the next 15 or 20 minutes.

So there I was, standing a stream of hot water without a child sitting right outside the shower door playing blocks or asking me life's most intriguing questions. Enjoying the peace and quiet. Then I start to hear knocking, banging, pounding on the bedroom door. A pang of motherly guilt screams through me. I start to think... What if something is wrong? What if Baby B woke up and Miss C tried to take him out and dropped him? What if my accident prone Mister P is laying on the hallway floor in a pool of blood because he didn't pay attention and slipped and fell? What if...What if...what if... The mom in me takes over and I get out of the shower, run to the door wrapped in a towel to take in the horrible news. Miss C was standing there with this look. I said, "what is wrong?" She said, "Why is your door locked?" I said, "Because. What is wrong?" She said, "Your door is locked." I.GIVE.UP!...

...I feel like I am turning into "that mom". You know who I am talking about. The one who doesn't care anymore. The one who stays in jammies or workout clothes all day long. The one who never goes anywhere except the grocery store.

Let me clear a little something up real quick. When I do go to the grocery store, when I go to work and when I do manage to get out of the house, I do look I care. I am no longer "that mom".

That being said, I feel bad when I don't care. My kids notice, my hubby notices, but nobody says anything. Probably for fear of their own life, but seriously, I know they notice. This has got to change! I have come to a conclusion. I need friends, more friends, real friends. I long for my friends back home, a few in particular. You now who you are. Sisters in every sense of the word. {sigh} But I don't live there anymore so I need to get up and get out!

...Today I did something I swore I would never do. I threatened Miss C with sending her to live with her father if she doesn't shape up. That was bad, VERY VERY BAD! I shouldn't have done that.